A Bright New Moon
by sile-kon
Summary: Mingming is poor, but she won't let that stop her! Going to a new school, she challenges herself to live the life she never lived. Joey/OC, maybe Kaiba/OC. Depends. NOT A PUPPYFIC! Joey and Kaiba are just the main two guys, besides the OC. ch4 UP!
1. Chapter 1 Bright Days Ahead

**Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh! does not belong to me… though I wish Kaiba did… heh. Nor do the lyrics at the beginning of chapters.**

I am not afraid to keep on living; I am not afraid to walk this world alone!  
~My Chemical Romance

I bit my lip, hard, and nervously. It had been a while since I'd eaten- lunch was four hours ago- and I was about to spend my last dime on a new school uniform. Actually, _two_ new uniforms; I couldn't go and wear the same dirty clothing every day without somebody noticing. And that was the last thing I wanted, to be noticed. All I wanted to do was graduate high school, without getting in too much trouble. I thought back to the promises I'd made myself- No fighting, EVER; No boyfriends; No drugs or alcohol; and NO sex! It wasn't so much depriving myself as much as making sure I wouldn't end up dead on the streets, but I still hoped I could have _some_ fun. Maybe here, at Domino High, I could make a mark and finally learn something! Smiling, I paid the cashier and tipped the tailor, then ran back home.

"Home" was a dingy hole in the wall known as a homeless shelter. The latrines stank, the beds were itchy, and the meals were grim, but somehow through all the darkness everybody managed to keep a smile on their face. I'd somehow come by this place through a program for runaway and homeless teens; the people had been kind to me when I explained my situation and agreed to take me in. They didn't care what I did, as long as I attempted to better my situation. With my two jobs through middle school (I'd lied about my age- high heels help) and applying to a good high school, I felt I was on track. The important thing right now was progressing, and continuing to live as well as I could.

As I walked into the stark fluorescent light of the Sojourner's Peace Center, or SPC, I raised my chin and smiled at the volunteer working the desk. "Hey, Kaiya! Any new registrations lately?" I asked amiably.  
Kaiya pursed her wrinkled lips in a farce of a smile, and winked. "Just one, already sent the welcoming crew. Sorry, Mingming." She lowered her head and watched the screen. I was fairly certain that she was either playing solitaire or Mahjong. It didn't matter, as long as she was doing her job; and Keiya was the best. She'd been here much longer than I had, almost ten years, and kept everything running smoothly. Though her dry personality was off-putting to newcomers, she was really a wonderful woman and could beat anybody in poker, and nearly everybody in chess. Everybody except me. Her Western professional garb fit her personality- a little off, but traditional underneath. Today she wore a bright blue pantsuit with yellow and orange beads, and fake cat's eye glasses. Rounding off the outfit were bright orange lacquered nails. All in all, one could only describe it as Kaiya. I gave her a nod and took my newly purchased clothing- shoes and all!- to my room, smiling confidently at everybody that passed. Some gave me a wink or a nod, some didn't. I didn't care either way, as long as they saw me as I pretended to be- calm, confident, and above all, bubbly.

Finally I reached the small cubicle I called a room. I was one of the few with my own, and I welcomed the privacy. I sat down on the bottom bunk of my bed, sighing. Spreading out my new clothes on the mattress, I decided what to wear for the next day- the commencement ceremony for my new high school! The fabric smelled wonderful, like bleach and money. I laid my head right next to a starched white shirt, inhaling deeply to catch more of that wonderful, new scent. All my other clothes were hand-me-downs, and smelled of other people. But these were solely mine, and mine alone. I allowed myself a scarce, real smile, and hugged myself, falling back on the bed. I kicked my shoes off, and curled up next to the new uniforms, being careful not to wrinkle them. Mine.

A quick knock came on my door. "Come in," I called.  
Several people from around the shelter came shuffling inside the door, hiding something behind them with earnest grins of anticipation. I tried to peek around one of them, but they blocked my view. I finally grinned back and asked mock-gruffly "What do you want?"

Kaiya spoke, scarcely able to hide her excitement. "We know you're going to a new school, so... Here." She handed me a box wrapped in newspaper, with a handmade bow taped to the top. I gasped, speechless. Presents weren't often come by, since Sojourner was often low on money, and everybody that lived here was homeless. "H-how?"  
Kaiya shook her head. "Don't ask, just open it."

I carefully removed the bow, intending to save it, then slowly unwrapped the box from its coverings. It was cardboard, but something heavy was inside... I looked at Kaiya, and she made motions with her hands, encouraging me. I opened the box, and inside might as well have been the Holy Grail. A shiny black suitcase rested inside on a bed of shredded paper... and underneath, a shiny black bentou box, complete with chopsticks! I suppressed a giggle of delight. They were beautiful.

"We put together all the funds to buy you those, and I found you a place where you can get free textbooks," Kaiya said quietly. I smiled again, tears in my eyes, and hugged her tightly, moving on to the other three people in the room. I couldn't believe they'd do that for me, especially considering how hard they'd all worked to scrounge the money. I thanked them each individually, and when they left, gently put the bentou and the suitcase away with my clothes. I'd been out of school for a year, but they'd worked hard to help me get back on my feet. I made one more promise to myself; I would never let Kaiya down!

* * *

As the Domino High School commencement ceremony began, I was still running towards the school frantically. My alarm clock had not worked. Kaiya was the one that knocked on my door half an hour before and shouted me awake. Thank god for her! She'd made me a lunch, which she slipped into my bentou as I hurried out the door. I'd make sure she'd know how grateful I was as soon as I got back from school.

Finally reaching the gates, I pulled out my student ID, flashed it to a teacher (who looked at me disapprovingly) and bolted towards the auditorium. I opened the door to a large crowd of students, who, through some kind of psychic "I-hate-late-people" connection looked at me, all at the same time. I felt a blush creeping up my face as I joined the rest of the new students, and then blushed again as I realized they were all first years! Once again, I scurried over to a new group of students, hopefully second years. The first year class president laughed it off, and continued his speech. Eventually he finished, and said "And now please welcome the second year class president, Hiroto Honda!" Slight applause as well as more than a few snickers followed the speech, prompting my curiosity. Was this the private-school reception for a class president? Perhaps the first-year had said something funny.

A large young man, about my age, walked on stage. I could immediately see why the others had laughed; he looked dumb. His hair was done in a "Yankee" style, and it was obvious he was probably some kind of bully. A prank, maybe? The _real_ president would walk onstage at any time... right? Then, Hiroto-san began his speech.  
"Welcome, students new and old! I'd like to personally greet... um... you?" He whispered to someone off-stage. I could barely make it out, but it looked like "I didn't know I had to make a speech!" I suppressed a laugh. This guy really didn't know his stuff! Then, he continued hesitantly. "Um, You guys should all try your best... because school is a serious place, so... Have a great year! And... well if anybody bullies you or something, you should come to the student counsel! That's what we're here for... and if that doesn't work-because-I-know-it-won't-because-they're-all-scared-of-the-jerks-in-the-moral-squad.... umm... come to me because my hair gives my super strength! Bye!"

"Well, that was weird," I commented softly to myself. A taller blond turned to me and replied, "No, that's Tristan." I looked at him closely; he had a funny accent.  
"Where are you from?" I asked him.  
He rolled his eyes and said "Brooklyn, USA."  
I nodded and edged away. He seemed tough, and kind of scary.

The students were beginning to get antsy just as the ceremony ended with a word from the headmaster. It was just as I suspected it would be; Be good, get good grades, and have a great year. Blah blah blah. Then, he rang the ceremonial school bell and everybody rushed off to class, leaving me and the first years to try and decipher our schedules. I was afraid to ask anybody, but a friendly-looking kid came up to me and asked, "What class do you have first?"

I took a good look at him. "Um, advanced physics." He had spiky multicolored hair that added nearly half a foot to his height, but without it he barely came up to my chest. His naive eyes looked at me sweetly and he replied, "Good. We're in the same class!" I smiled back at him, confused. This little kid was in advanced physics? What a world. So I asked, "Um, are you an accelerated student?" He laughed, and I wondered what was funny. "I'm second year. I'm sixteen!" I gasped, even more confused, and embarrassed that I had offended him. "I-I'm so sorry!" I said, bowing deeply to him. He just laughed again, saying "Oh, it's okay. Happens all the time! So, are you a transfer student? You looked a little lost back there." I smiled at him. "Yeah, I haven't been in school, so we've probably never met." Then I covered my mouth. So much for not sticking out. I should have come up with a cover story last night. The...um... guy? didn't even notice. "What's your name?" he asked. "Yue Ming, what's yours?" He cocked his head, saying "Yuugi Motou. Nice to meet you!" I smiled back at him. "Nice to meet you too, Motou-san. You seem nice!" He blushed. "Well, just wait until you meet my friends!" he told me as we entered the classroom.

The teacher at the front frowned, saying only, "You're late, Motou." I rushed in, saying "Motou-san was showing me the classroom. It's my fault, uhh..." I took a quick look at his paper name tag. "Teriyaki-sensei?" I had to stifle a snicker. His name was Teriyaki? What a ridiculous American stereotype of Japanese culture! What is this fanfiction author thinking? I shook my head. It would be better not to laugh at him, but a snort escaped me. He pursed his lips. "Then, you must be the new girl, Yue Ming?" he read my name off a list on a clipboard. I nodded, seeing it was circled in red. I bit my lip. He didn't seem to like me, but he nodded and pointed absently to a desk. "Sit next to Seto Kaiba-san, please." I hastily sat down next to the brown-haired young man. He looked hostile, and I made a mental note not to bother him.

The rest of the class went smoothly, but I couldn't help sneaking glances at Kaiba-san and Motou-san. They looked so normal, and happy, and above all, smart! I found myself competing with them, doing problems quickly and shooting my hand up as fast and as high as I could. Anytime I could, I would answer the hardest problems offered, confidently and smugly. I loved the feeling of getting the correct answer, having the other students look at me curiously as if they wondered how I did it. I was so sick of being treated like I was stupid at work, just a pretty face. Here, at school, I could learn and showcase my abilities. I constantly had to suppress a smile. Class let out, but before I could go, Yuugi caught up to me. "Wow, you're really smart! I thought you said you'd been out of school for a year!" I nodded. "Yeah, I've been studying by myself for a while. Otherwise I would never have been able to pass the entrance exam!" Yuugi smiled. "So what class do you have next?" I looked at my schedule. "Um, advanced English." Yuugi sighed. "Sorry, I'm not in that class. But if you catch up with Kaiba-san, you should be able to find the classroom." I nodded and gave him my thanks.

I rushed up to Kaiba. "Um, hi. I'm Yue Ming. You're Seto Kaiba-san, right?" He snorted. "That's me." Then he turned to me, resent plainly on his sharp face. "Think you're smart? Let's see how you fare in English class. I'll beat you for sure." I wrinkled my nose. "Well you didn't have to be so snobby about it." He turned and growled, "You don't know a damn thing about snobby!" Then he twirled on his heel and stalked quickly into another classroom. I followed closely, and once again we were placed next to each other. Once again, we competed stubbornly to be called on. I began to take a tally of correct answers... and I lost, by one, when I replied with incorrect grammar. Kaiba smirked, and I swore vengeance on him for being such a sourpuss. I narrowed my eyes at him as we walked to our next class together, advanced calculus, all the while laughing evilly in my head. The same pattern continued throughout the day, and by the end we were both so competitive with each other that I felt I would burst. Finally, once our last class together had ended, Kaiba-san spoke to me. "what's the tally?" he asked. I looked at the paper, counting quickly. "Looks like we're tied," I said, frowning. How could this happen? I was so determined... I looked back up at Kaiba. His pale face had a little color to it. In fact, I wondered if he was blushing... but he looked down once again, and muttered "Well, I guess this means it continues tomorrow. Good day." Then, he turned on his heel and got into the car- the _limo?!- _waiting for him.

A group of bitchy-looking girls stalked up to me. One of them, obviously the leader, flipped her blond hair and said snidely, "Nice to see you're getting so much attention from Seto-kun." I half expected the other four to say "yeaaahhh" or something. They looked so... doll-like... and brainless. Kind of perfect, actually. I began to get caught up in my observations of them, noticing every perfect detail of their beautiful outfits, accessories, and shoes. I somehow wanted to be them... and then I realized that they were waiting for an answer. "Oh, um.. I just like class," I say, sheepishly. The leader made a nasty-looking expression on her face and commented, "Well don't get too close to him, or we'll teach you a lesson... tramp!" Then, she and her lackeys stormed away.

I sat down on a bench near the school, hurt. Why would she say that to me? All I did was compete with Kaiba-san! Brooding, I didn't even realize the blond guy from before walk up and take a seat. "They're just jealous," he said in his strange accent. "What?" I asked, startled. "You's cute, and smart, and Kaiba's lookin' at ya, and even talkin' to ya. Seems weird, but he's popular. Never caught you's name... I'm Jonouichi, but ya can call me Joey." He extended a hand, and I shook it. "I'm Yue Ming, nice to meet you, Joey-san. I have to walk home... I'll see you later." _Did he just call me cute? _I got up, leaving Joey-san on the bench. He looked after me a ways, until I heard him running up. "Wait... let me walk ya home." I smiled. "That would be nice."

* * *

**Note from the author:** In case you guys don't speak Chinese, Yue4 Ming2 translates (directly) as Moon Bright, hence the title ^_^ Anyway I'm hoping to release new chapters at least once a week but with school, who knows. :D Anyway thanks for reading, PWEESE R&R because it makes me happy... I'll give the first three people to R&R a big fat cookie! Thanks again-- Crystal


	2. Chapter 2 Step into Shadows

**Thanks to Tommy 2.0 for the lovely review! You keep me going, guys, so please REVEIEWWWW and maybe I'll give you a cookie!**

**Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me. And neither does the Abridged series by LittleKuriboh, which you guys should check out.**

It was odd walking home with Jonouichi. I'd never really had many friends my age that didn't live at the shelter, and was somewhat embarrassed with my current living conditions. I didn't know whether to show him where I actually lived or to take him to some other house and pretend it was my own. Perhaps that was the way to go… I looked up at Joey, a little flustered, and attempted a bubbly smile. He grinned back at me, his golden hair bright in the waning sun. I didn't know what I should say, so we walked in silence for awhile before turning the corner to the worse side of town.

"You's live here?" Joey asked, perplexed. I bit my lip shyly and said "yeah." "And yous was gonna walk home alone?" Again, I nodded and said "Yeah." To my surprise, Joey laughed a bit, then said "Well I'm glad ya let me walk ya home, I live pretty near here." I raised my eyebrows. "Really? I would never have known…" I shook my head. I'd thought he was just another middle or upper-class kid, with the money and not the smarts to get into Domino High. But I guessed there was another side to him, just like with pretty much everyone else. "So, Yue-san, where d'ya live?" I motioned a couple of blocks down the street. "Sojourner," I replied, blushing once again. Joey probably lived in a house, at least, with parents and enough money to feed himself. He nodded, though, seeming to understand me. "Yeah, I live with my pa. We live around the corner, 'bout a block away."

That impressed me. I had never figured I'd meet somebody at school who understood my situation. Joey, at least, seemed like a decent guy with a good understanding of how tough life can be. I smiled at him again, this time confidently. I was so glad that he'd met me back there on the bench, otherwise I might have come away from my first day of school assuming that everybody was like Kaiba-san and that clique of girls. We talked about nothing almost the rest of the way, until we got stopped only a block away from my home.

"'Ey, Jonouichi. Haven't seen you's around here for awhile," a large man in black growled. Joey, immediately on the defensive, took my wrist and stepped in front of me, barking back, "Leave me alone, Hiroshi. I don't owe ya nothin'." Hiroshi glared at him, then seemed to notice me. "Hey, you's got ya'self a nice lady there… Hello, pretty lady," he said, reaching around as if to grab me. Joey lashed out and hit him in the nose, as I gasped. Hiroshi's now-squished nose began to bleed profusely, and as he cupped a hand below it to stem the flow, he appeared to become enraged. "You'll pay for that," he cried, rushing towards Joey. Joey released my hand, using both hands and feet to fend off his larger opponent. Whereas Hiroshi had size and strength, Joey had speed and technique.

Joey met Hiroshi's rush with a knee to the stomach, and as the foe doubled over to cradle his stomach, Joey swiftly delivered an elbow to the back of the man's neck, rendering him immobile on the pavement. By now, though, other members of Hiroshi's gang had taken notice, circling around Joey and myself. Finally over my initial shock and fear, I took a fighting stance, hoping that nothing would stain my precious new uniform. I felt Joey's back on mine, and he turned slightly to whisper in my ear, "Don'tcha worry, I'm gonna get us out of this." Then, to my eternal surprise and mortification, Joey lifted me over his shoulder and began to kick a path through his opponents, taking care not to get me hit. I let him be until we were halfway down the block, out of the circle of gangsters, when I asked, "When are you going to let me down?"

Joey blushed and set me lightly on the sidewalk. "Whoops, guess I forgot ya were there…" He sheepishly ruffled the back of his straw-colored mane. I pursed my lips and said, "Well, whatever happened in that head of yours, it was enough for me to flash my panties to all those gangsters back there," I said, gesturing behind myself. Joey reddened, and shook his fist, saying "Do ya want me to show 'em a bit more of my…BROOKLYN RAGE?" I laughed. Joey smiled back at me. "Don'tcha worry, if they ever bug ya again, I'll teach 'em a lesson. Take it from me, they don't wanna fight me." I nodded, and sighed. "Well, here's my stop. Thanks for helping me, Joey-san." I reached up and ruffled his hair. He flashed another smile and replied, "All in a day's work, madam," dropping a mock curtsey. With one last wave, I turned back to the shelter and went to my room.

Alone on my bed, I smiled to myself and thought how perfect the day had been, minus the girls, and Kaiba, and the gangsters. Well, Joey and Yuugi had been perfect, at least, perfectly nice. I was beginning to think I had a few new friends in the making.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Yue-san, but we're downsizing… and you know that the last to come is the first to leave," said Yamato-sama, taking my work uniform. "You've been one of our hardest workers, but we just can't afford to keep you any longer. In fact, we've kept you longer than we should have…" Yamato-sama looked downcast. "I'm sorry to disappoint you." I nodded, replying with a cheerful smile, "It's fine! I'm in school now, anyway, so it should be helpful when I need to study!" I bowed gratefully to her. "It's been a pleasure working for you." Unfortunately, this wasn't the last time I'd be laid off that day. My other boss, once I'd gotten to the restaurant for work, had given me the exact same apologetic smile, telling me pathetically that I'd worked very hard and he was sorry to see me go. From having two separate jobs, I was now without any. "Right," I muttered to myself, "I'll have to figure that out."

I spent the afternoon and early evening that night looking in the paper for a job, made some calls, and finally landed a few interviews. There was work at a fast-food chain, a daycare service (I'd only work part-time on the weekends) and a second-shift janitor's job at some corporation. The daycare service wasn't so appealing, but I was willing to do it for some food money. The one thing I didn't want to do was be a liability on the shelter, and if I didn't get a job soon, that's what I would be. So, I had Kaiya call the school and tell them that I was sick and couldn't make it to school that day, and off I went to the interviews. This is how they went:

Fast-food chain: "Hi, I'm Yue Ming. Pleased to meet you!" "Sorry, Yue-san, but the position that you are interviewing for has been filled."

Daycare service: "Oh, you're only sixteen? You sounded so old over the phone…"

Finally, the last interview had arrived. The past two had been disastrous, and I only hoped I could at least get this job. Whatever they wanted me to do, I would do it happily! Besides, I frankly was glad that I'd been refused the day care job. One look at those screaming children and I'd nearly run out of the building. I walked to the address from the ad, and saw, in screaming blue letters on the top of the building; "KAIBACORP." _You have to be kidding me._ I shook my head, praying that I'd never meet Kaiba-san while working there, for I was sure that I'd be fired on the spot. I entered the massive skyscraper, clutching my résumé to my chest. The interior was impressive, with a lavish marble floor and massive pillars supporting the ceiling. As I walked across the floor to the main front desk, my shoes clacked. I suddenly became very aware of my clothing, old professional-looking hand-me-downs from the thrift shop. When buying the outfit, I'd felt important and excited, but now, next to all the dressed up patrons of KaibaCorp, I felt like I'd been dragged in from the street.

"Can I help you?" the lady at the desk asked in a bored monotone. The way she looked at me seemed to say that I was in the way, and distracting her from important business. "I'm applying for the janitorial job?" I said meekly. She only pointed to her left, at a door that said "ADMINISTRATION." I nodded, thanked her, then rushed towards the door, pulling it open and sliding into the room beyond. There was a small line of applicants, all older than me, waiting for interview. I gritted my teeth.

Hours seemed to pass as, one by one, each applicant was called into the adjoining room. Finally, the last person left, I was called. "Yue Ming, Kaiba-sama is ready to see you." _Oh, shit._ I felt like I was about to faint. "D-does Kaiba-sama always interview janitors?" I asked. The attendant nodded. "Yes, he interviews every employee admitted into the building," he said, then pushed me lightly into the office, and shut the door.

In the relative quiet, my heart beat loudly. I slowly turned around. "Kaiba-sama?" I squeaked. Kaiba looked like the cat that caught a canary. His smug smile greeted me, as he motioned to sit. It was the perfect movie scenario: the villain sits in his large, comfy-looking chair, fingers steepled together, as he looks at the poor hero sitting across his desk. The villain smiles, then leans forward, ready to commence the execution. "So, how did you come by _this_ job?" Kaiba asked. I attempted to smile and replied, "I saw it in the paper, sir. Have you read-" "No, I haven't read your résumé," Kaiba interrupted. "But I'd love to know why you are applying for a position to my company. It's not often we get high-school students around here, asking to be hired." _Says the sixteen-year-old CEO,_I thought. "Um, well… I needed a job." Kaiba snorted. "What, for spending money? This is hard work we're talking about, not flipping burgers." I nodded, but my temper had already begun to rise. "Just because we go to the same school doesn't mean we're at all alike!" Kaiba's eyebrows rose. His face reddened. I could tell he was angry with me. Then, for some odd reason, he sighed a bit and laughed! "No, I suppose not. Well, I've already had some great applicants and I don't think you'd much like working here, so I'm going to decline your application." I nodded grimly. I'd ruined my own chances, and I was fine with accepting the consequences. "However, I've called your previous bosses and they've said you're an excellent worker. Where did you say you lived here? Oh," he grimaced. "A homeless shelter? Are you joking?" He laughed a little, cruelly, and immediately I was wounded. "Not at all, Kaiba-sama." His face stretched into the semblance of surprise. "That's no place for a student," he said, as if to himself. Then, smiling evilly, he continued, "But I think I have just the position for you…" I could practically see him laughing maniacally in his head.

* * *

_ABSOLUTELY NOT! _said my brain, even the next morning, taking into account how he'd use this to torture me. Oh, the shame… But still, he said he'd provide me a home and, on top of that, pay me a very high salary… NO! I couldn't make up my mind. Kaiba had told me that his maid had recently quit, and that twelve-year-old Mokuba needed a baby-sitter for Kaiba's late nights at the office. I'd live at his house, in one of his accessory rooms, and make meals, which I loved to do… But something inside of me screamed, "NO! Kaiba will sodomize you! OR SOMETHING!" I knew that Kaiba would try to make me as miserable as possible, in retribution for challenging him as the top student in our class, but the offer was so tempting!

Still thinking deeply, I decided I had to talk to somebody as I walked the few miles to school, my suitcase in tow. But who? I had a feeling that Joey would open up a can of whoop-ass on Kaiba if I told him, but I didn't know anybody else besides Yuugi. _Who would be just perfect!_ Awesome. I'd ask Yuugi about it, see what he says, and then turn in whatever answer I got to Kaiba. Good plan.

I pursed my lips as I recognized a familiar limo. The back window rolled down, and Kaiba said, smirking, "Need a ride?" I shot him a toxic glare. "No, thank you, sir." He nodded curtly, rolled up his window, and his driver sped away. Needless to say, I really wanted to beat him at school today.


	3. Chapter 3 Blue Eyes

**Author's note:** Sorry it took so long, I have school :) From now on, expect new chapters every Friday or Saturday- it really depends on my schedule . anyway, hope you like it... this one introduces a possible new love interest. VOTE IN THE REVIEWS FOR WHO YOU WANT TO WIN!!!!

* * *

School was a delight, that day. I'd succeeded for the fifth day in a row at defeating Kaiba in class, and to celebrate, Yuugi and Joey asked me to come with them to a well-known burger joint where one of their friends, Téa, had once worked. I was excited to hang out with my new friends outside of school, even as Joey had walked me home nearly every day since commencement. "We have a special surprise for you!" Yuugi said excitedly. "Well, what is it?" I asked, while Joey whacked him over the head. "We can't tell ya, it's a secret," Joey said, glaring at Yuugi.

As we walked into the restaurant, a few people our age waved over at us. Yuugi waved back, rushing over to them. He beckoned to Joey and me, but we took our time- it was obvious to me that Joey didn't want to look uncool and rush right over to them, as Yuugi had done. Yuugi was already situated between the student body president- Tristan, I thought- and a cute raven-haired girl with a dice-shaped earring in her left ear. Yuugi smiled brightly, and said, "Joey, why don't you pull up a chair, and Mingming can sit next to Téa." I sat next to her, smiled, and introduced myself. The plain brunette smiled back and cried, "Friendship!" Confused, I frowned a bit, and Joey confidentially leaned over to me and whispered, "That's all she really ever says." I nodded, and Yuugi proceeded to introduce the rest of his friends. "So now you know Téa, and of course Joey and me, and this is Tristan- you saw him at commencement, right?- and this," he said, pointing at the pretty girl next to him, "is Duke." "Duke? That's an odd name for a girl," I said. Suddenly, the room went very, very quiet. Duke blushed. "I- I'm a boy," he said. I immediately realized my mistake and practically fell over myself apologizing. "I'm so sorry! It's just that- well, you're so pretty and-" at which point I realized I was emasculating the situation, and shut up. Yuugi laughed, dissolving the tension in the air. "It's all right, you didn't know. Right, Duke?" Duke nodded, adding, "Happens all the time." I didn't think it did, but I could see that he'd forgiven me already. We chatted, ordered and ate, and at some point I asked, "Yuugi, where is that cool necklace from?" "This? Oh, it's the Millennium Puzzle, it's something my grandpa bought for the store. It's from Egypt." I nodded, in awe. "That's so cool! So it's a puzzle? Can I try it?" "Uh, no... see it's really hard to put together and there's this thin-" Yuugi began. "It's really special to him," Joey interrupted. Yuugi glanced confusedly at Joey, obviously of a mind to say something. "Well yeah, but there's also a spirit inside of it, who can only come out if the puzzle is put together. See?" Taken aback, I could only say "Oh, wow." The story sounded kind of crazy, but anything's possible, right?

Joey, sensing some awkwardness in the air, came out with "Who wants to play Duel Monsters?" This submission was met with various phrases of agreement, so everyone (excepting me and Téa) pulled out a deck of darkly-colored cards from their pockets. Téa, however, pulled out pom-poms seemingly from nowhere and began to chant "Friendship!" vigorously. I decided not to pay attention to her, and instead asked "What's Duel Monsters?" Yuugi smiled while the other gasped. "It's a really popular card game." Joey added, "You's sittin' with some of the world champs... and Yuug's the King of Games. Duke over there invented Dice Monsters. And I-" Tristan interrupted. "He's never won anything in his life." The group laughed while Joey raged. I wondered why I'd never heard of it, if "duel monsters" were so popular. Yuugi handed me a card. "That's Swords of Revealing Light, you can have it. Why don't you start your own deck?" I smiled and replied, "Well, maybe. Thanks!" Joey, looking over at us, said "That's a damn good card. Ya better take good care of it!"

Joey 'dueled' Tristan and won, while Yuugi "dueled" Duke, and won, to Duke's apparent fury. The winners faced off. For a half hour, Joey and Yuugi battled it out, using strategies indeterminate to me. The rules, however, seemed surprisingly simple, for a card game. I supposed it was pretty easy to play, since the cards had instructions on them, and the basic layout of the playing area was relatively uncomplicated. I watched with great interest, as Yuugi inevitably won with a card called "Kuriboh." The two boys shook hands, and Joey said "Well, ya probably wanna get home, dont'cha?" I nodded, turning to the others. "See you guys later!" Joey waved.

We walked home, chatting idly, when Joey stopped, taking my hand in his and rubbing it softly with his thumb but not looking me in the eye. "Joey?" "Ah, Mingming-chan... I jes' wanted to ask ya... how do ya see me?" Taken aback, I sputtered. "W-well, up 'till now, I just thought we were friends- nobody's ever asked me that before." "Oh, okay," Joey said, disappointment and hurt showing clearly in his eyes. He released my hand, putting his own into his pockets. I didn't want to hurt him... but the prospect of physical relations with him- with anybody- scared me beyond anything else. Just thinking about it brought up visions of my uncle, and before I knew it, there were tears in my eyes. I sniffed. Joey immediately turned to me, touching my shoulder. "What's wrong, Mingming?" I wiped my eyes, smiling at him. "I like you too...Joey-kun." THough he hadn't said it, I knew that he did like me, and had wanted to confess it to me. His eyes widened at the term of endearment. "Y-Yeah! I mean, I really like ya and I wanna be there to protect ya... I mean, would ya consider going out with me?" I considered. "Sure. But- can we take it slow?" I asked. "Whatever ya want, I'll give ya- we'll go as slow as ya want, okay?" I smiled back at him. "Then I guess you can call me your girlfriend." Joey grinned, looking down at his feet. One tattered boot kicked a rock ahead of him on the worn sidewalk. I looked up, towards the darkening horizon. He looked at me furtively. "What is it?" I asked. "Would it be okay with ya if we held hands?" I nodded. HIs large, warm hand around mine was gentle and reassuring. I squeezed it, and he squeezed back. The moment was perfect- I felt as if nothing could ruin it.

Boy, was I wrong. As we neared Sojourner, I caught sight of a familiar tall, cape-clad figure hunched in the doorway. _Oh, crap,_ I thought, rolling my eyes.

"Isn't that sweet," Kaiba drawled. "The lady and the tramp finally found each other." Joey practically leapt at him, his fingers tightening around mine. "Ye'r damn right she's a lady!" I shushed him. "Kaiba, what are you doing here?" I asked. "Have you considered my _very generous _offer, 'lady'?" Crap! I'd forgotten to ask for advice! Joey turned to me, confused. "What offer?" "Um, he offered me a job as a maid..." Joey growled, but then surprised me. "Well, I'd take it, the bastard prolly has loads of cash. Prolly pays well, too." Kaiba was obviously just as surprised as I was, his mouth hanging uncharacteristically wide open. "O-okay," I said. "Fine, Kaiba, I'll take the job." Kaiba nodded briskly. "Okay, report tomorrow morning, and bring your... uniform." Then, he finally stalked back into his limo.

Joey grimaced. "Wish ya didn't have ta work for that asshole... but I guess it's for the best. His company is one of the only companies still hiring." I nodded. "Yeah, but it sucks that I have to live with him." "WHaa?!" Joey exclaimed, dropping my hand. "You's gonna live with dat guy?" His accent had nearly become unintelligible. "Yeah, that's why I was hesitant to accept it, but I really don't want to be a burden on the shelter," I explained. Joey nodded grimly. "Okay, but if he harasses ya, or ANYTHIN', ya better quit, okay? I could prolly find ya a place to stay." I smiled and nodded. "I promise."

He waved good-bye to me and I turned and walked the last steps home, ready for my last night in my own bed.

* * *

The early morning came too fast. I gathered my sparse belongings, squinting in the pale dawn-light. Rising and dressing, I bid a fond farewell to my friends-who I had come to know as family- from the shelter. As I left the shade of the crumbling building, I waved one last time to Kaita before I was pulled into Kaiba's awaiting limousine. Kaiba took one look at me, wrinkled his nose, and said, "Do you really dress like that?" "What?" I said, looking at my plain jeans and tee-shirt. "You're rather informal for a meeting with your new boss. Thankfully, I have a uniform prepared for you at home, in your new room." I pursed my lips,knowing that this was the end of the so-called 'conversation.' Kaiba seemed particularly insuffereable today, and I was going to live with him? I felt tears of frustration prick my eyes, but looked away so Kaiba wouldn't see them. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Absorbed in my own thoughts, I didn't notice when we pulled up to Kaiba's house, at least until he said "Get out. Now." I pursed my lips again. _Remember, it's a great job_, I kept telling myself. I only wished that Kaiba would at least be bearable, though I sorely doubted it. Kaiba didn't seem to be the type I'd enjoy living with. Somehow, I'd have to put up with living with him. Kaiba's house was too big, to say the least. Compared to where Iwas from, it seemed incredibly extravagant. Where perhaps hundreds of people could live in some comfort, Kaiba langoured in his wealth, in a house much too big for one person and his staf. I wondered if I was the only maid.

To my surprise, Kaiba picked up my bag himself. "What about the driver?" I asked. "No driver," he replied. "The car runs through llive GPS so I don't have to pay for someone that will make mistakes on the road, not to mention deal with him. This is safer, cheaper, and easier." I nodded, a little surprised; Kaiba had always seemed that he was the type to make as many people as possible as _miserable_ as possible. "Um, is there any other staff besides me?" "No." "Um, I can cook too, you know." "Okay, Mokuba will like that." "Who's Mokuba?" "My little brother." He politely opened the front door for me and I thanked him, again somewhat astounded. THe inside of his house was absolutely sumptuous, with wall-to-wal carpeting, cherry wood kick and crown molding, and paneled red and pink walls. The decoration was all in gold leaf, and- "This way." I nodded, reaching for my bag. Kaiba frowned at me, picked it up instead, and walked briskly out the door, leaving me to follow. He led me to a smaller room decorated mostly in green, again with gold accents. "This is your room," he said. "You have a weekly allowances of five hundred dollars, not including food or clothing- which I see we will have to buy for you." I raised my eyebrows. Five hundred dollars? That was like telling me I got to live in Heaven, with a pension! Kaiba dropped my bag on the four-poster bed- which, I was sure, was bigger than my entire room back at home. He motioned me to follow him. Kaiba gave me the grand tour of his home, showing me Mokuba's room, the gaming room, the dining room, the kitchen, all the while telling me what he _especially_ wanted cleant... finally ending in his own room. ""Only come in here if the house is on fire, or if I expressly ask you to clean it. _Never _come in here when I'm asleep. Do you understand?" "Yes, I do." I took a quick look around. This room was surprisingly minimalistic. Like mine, his was a four-poster bed, but this was the only extravagant piece in the room. It was all in light-blue, with a faded poster of a white dragon on the wall above his pillow. A dresser and a coffee table with his alarm clock were the only other furniture. How... interesting. Then I was rushed out of his room and told that we would be going to school in ten minutes, exactly. I put on my uniform, excited to see my new friends again.

The ride to school was silent. Kaiba worked on his laptop, typing away at some important email or document. His face was drawn, his deep blue eyes strained but focused. I didn't realize that I was staring until Kaiba lifted his head, looking at me intently, as if to say "What is it?" I quickly looked away, seeing him go back to work out of the corner of my eye. When he wasn't insufferable, when he was focused on something other than tormenting me and my friends, he was really quite beautiful. It was a subtle moment of grace-- silent but somehow meaningful. Then, the car stopped, and we went back to being intellectual rivals, with nothing more between us than a shared ride to school. Joey was waiting for me, and smiled when he saw me stepping out of the vehicle. I smiled back and we shared a hug. Holding hands, Joey walked me to class. I only spared one glance back at Kaiba, but I know that he saw me. He nodded, and I looked back at Joey, smiling broadly. I would never trade anyone, no matter how beautiful, for the one that I had at that moment. And in that moment, I was completely and totally happy.

Somehow, I've learned that these feelings always predict a coming storm.


	4. Chapter 4 Golden

**Hey, sorry about the lateness-- again, I'm studying for APs and am really busy... so pweese have patience with mee! Again, rate and review PLEASE and tell me what you want to see in the story, and I"ll do my best to give it to you!!! I'm wondering if it's tl;dr because a lot of people hit the first chapter and don't continue... :'( so anyway if you're reading please drop a review so I can give you what you want! Um... probably no lemons though, because I'm pretty sure my little sister reads this O_o**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yugioh, Kaiba would wear kitty ears and a tail, and Joey would wear nothing! :P  
**

* * *

"Where exactly do you think you're going?" an unfriendly voice asked me from behind. "Uh, what?" I replied, spinning around to face the nasty-looking girl from before, and her cronies. It was the end of the school day and I was just about to head back to Kaiba's house to begin my first day of cleaning, but something in the girl's eyes told me that I wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. "I saw you in Kaiba-kun's limo. Now," she said, backing me into a corner, "what exactly have you been doing with him?" "I-I work for him, he's just nice enough to give me a ride to and from school," I said, not exactly lying. This girl was beginning to scare me, and her formerly beautiful face was now drawn into an ugly, haughty sneer. "You _bitch," _she said, stepping yet closer to me. "We know what you're doing… and we don't like it. Stay away from Seto-kun. Or regret it." Her cronies nodded in tense agreement, glaring at me. And, of course, I did the worst thing possible, and I laughed. The blonde girl's eyes widened in amazement. "You think this is funny? Really?" I immediately tried to shut up, but I couldn't help myself. "Yeah. You know nothing about scary. If you think backing me into a corner and threatening me vaguely is scary, why don't you come and see where I used to live. Maybe then you'll get it." I kept laughing. "I can't even believe that you think you can hurt me." The blonde continued to glare, but allowed me to push her aside so I could walk calmly through her group and on to my ride. "Hey!" she screamed after me. "My name's Megumi! Never forget it, bitch!" I shook my head. How ridiculous. First, Kaiba and I were nothing but rivals… well that, and he was my boss- and secondly, I _had_ a boyfriend.

"'Ey, Mingming, ya didn't think I'd let ya go without a hug?" Speak of the devil. Joey ran quickly up to me, took my books and set them down, and promptly hugged me tightly. I smiled at him. His brown eyes looked into mine, and he grinned, making me blush. "Hey, d'ya wanna have a date? Just us, y'know… how 'bout pizza, or maybe something real nice… whatever ya want." I nodded. "Yeah. That sounds great. How about Sunday? Today and tomorrow I'll be busy," I glanced at the limo. "With work." Joey nodded understandingly. "Sunday it is, I'll pick ya up." I couldn't help but smile to myself as I ran over to Kaiba's limo. Joey was so sweet. I was lucky to have him.

"Well, that took awhile. Why don't you waste more of my time?" Kaiba said grumpily as I opened the door to sit down next to him. I ducked my head apologetically. "Sorry, there was this girl and… well, I tried to make it quick." "What happened?" he asked absentmindedly as he opened his laptop. Surprised at his apparent concern for me, I was quiet for a moment. He looked impatiently at me, as if to say that he was waiting. "Well, she cornered me and was saying that… well, that I shouldn't be near you or she'd hurt me or something." I laughed. "It was really very funny-" "Who was this?" Kaiba asked, an inscrutable look on his face. "Um, some blonde girl… I think her name was Megumi?" "I'll have to chat with her. I don't want my employees abused by anybody but me." I suppressed a laugh. That certainly seemed to be the type of thing that Kaiba would say. Of course he was the only one allowed to make my life miserable. It was his way, since he was the king of his world, to control as much as possible of what was around him. I didn't mind, but he needed to know that I could take care of my own problems. "Look, I don't think that will be necessary, I mean I can fight for myself…" "And I'm saying that it _is_ necessary, and that is the end of this conversation." I pursed my lips. He always had to get his way, and if only I wasn't in his employ I'd give him a piece of my mind. Of course, I couldn't, and instead subverted my strong urge to slap him in the back of the head for being such an idiot.

Once we got home, Kaiba rushed me into the house, saying "You have two hours to finish your homework, and then one hour to prepare dinner. Afterwards I want you to tidy up Mokuba's room, and the game room… and my room if you have time, but do NOT go through my drawers. I repeat, do NOT open my drawers or there will be severe consequences. Your uniform is on your bed… I expect you to wear it when you're on the job, as in cleaning and cooking. Once you're done with all those tasks, you may do as you see fit." Then, Kaiba disappeared into his study, and I got to work on schoolwork. I always finished it pretty quickly, and today was no different. It only took around forty-five minutes, since I hadn't had calculus that day. Then, I rushed to my room to get changed into my uniform--- and there awaited a rather unpleasant surprise. It was frilly, black and white- and _short._ In summary, my uniform was that of a French maid. I sighed, put it on, and stormed into Kaiba's office. "What is the meaning of this?" He smirked, looking me up and down. "It's the fashion, did you expect something else?" "Well yes, I did, in fact. I expected you to be a little more mature than this!" Kaiba snickered, then looked at me seriously. "Well, it _does_ suit you," he said. "Now, are you going to go make dinner or just stand there?" I turned on my heel and stomped furiously out of the room. How demeaning! I resolved to quit if he didn't pay me a heck of a lot. _Five hundred dollars a week,_ my brain reminded me. Five hundred dollars A WEEK. It was worth it. I had to keep telling myself that, and maybe then I'd believe it. A little harassment was worth the ridiculous pension I'd soon be receiving. And so, that in mind, I set to work on dinner. I decided on a simple Greek pasta with tomatoes, spinach and feta cheese, tossed in olive oil, with a salad and fried lamb on the side. Easy and quick, besides the lamb, which would take a little while. Oh well. I was ahead of schedule anyway, so long as we had dinner at Kaiba's prescribed time I figured he'd be happy.

Kaiba's kitchen was wonderful. Well organized, spacious, and best of all, well stocked. I was in heaven, so elated by his plethora of cooking utensils, spices, and full refrigerator that I nearly forgot about Kaiba himself and instead filled my mind with the pleasure of cooking. It seemed to go by too fast, and I found myself sad when the entire meal was done. I set the dining room table for two places, took a plate for myself, and rang the dinner bell. A small child with unkempt black hair ran into the room, sat down and smiled at me. I was honestly a little afraid of his intensity- the child, Mokuba, I presumed, seemed a little too bright for his age and size. I nodded amiably at him and he waved back. Then, I served him his food and served out a platter for Kaiba, and started back into the kitchen to eat. "Aren't you going to eat with us?" Mokuba asked. "Um… Sure, I guess. But won't your brother mind?" Mokuba shook his head. "Not if I want you to eat with us, and I do." "Okay then." I sat down with my plate and spread out my skirt so as to cover as much of my legs as possible. Mokuba ate quickly. "Sorry, is Kaiba-sama joining us?" "I don't know, you can get him if you want, but he doesn't usually eat with me," Mokuba replied. I nodded, got up, and went to fetch Kaiba. He was still alone in his study, carefully considering a round golden object that fit snugly in his palm. "Kaiba-sama, it's time for dinner." He nodded silently, as if to himself. I walked further into the room, putting my hands on my hips. "Look, if you're going to have me here, the least you can do is eat what I make you. You're too thin anyway, it'll do you some good." He glared at me, setting the object down. "You are my employee. I'll do what I want in my own house." I smiled wryly. "Well, I'm not leaving until you join me and your brother in the dining room, so you might as well come." He grimaced, then picked up the golden object, muttering something like "I'm kind of hungry anyway." We walked together into the dining room, and sat down. "Did Mokuba ask you to sit with us?" Kaiba asked. "Yes, I did," Mokuba said firmly. Kaiba nodded and began to eat, not looking at me. I noticed him continually fiddling with the thing in his pocket. "What's that?" I asked, gesturing at the golden orb. "Something I won in a duel, and I'm trying to figure out what it does. It's supposed to have some kind of power, like Yuugi's Millennium Puzzle. This is the Millennium Eye." He rolled it in his fingers. "I can't figure out how to use it without-" and suddenly the eye started to glow. I felt myself subconsciously reaching out to it. Kaiba gasped. "Oh… it seems to have chosen you," he said pensively. Kaiba put it back into his pocket. "It's probably dangerous… but I'm curious to find out the effect a millennium item has on people." He seemed to ponder this a while, then shook his head. "No, it would make me a really bad boss; it had a bad effect on Pegasus…" And then his muttering was unintelligible. I ignored him and instead focused on my task at hand. The game room had looked pretty messy, and Kaiba's room… well I was sort of scared to go in there, to say the least.

After dinner, I tackled the cleaning jobs. It didn't take long, but it was certainly hard work. I kept my nose down when cleaning Kaiba's room, though curiosity impelled me to snoop in his drawers as he'd told me _not _to do. When I'd finally finished turning out Kaiba's bed, I unzipped the back of my (rather tight) uniform with a contented sigh, and left for my room. To my surprise, Kaiba was in the hallway, walking towards the room I'd just cleaned. I smiled wearily at him. He looked at me, confused, then down below my face- wait, was he…? I looked down, where his line of sight went. My sleeves had slipped down as a result of my unzipping the uniform, and now I was practically showing him my chest! "I have a younger brother, we can't have half-naked women running around the house, now can we?" Kaiba said. I could tell he was suppressing a laugh as I scurried to cover up. Then, we went to our respective rooms. I slammed my door. Tomorrow was going to be a rough day.

_The Eye stared at me, shining golden light into my eyes. A sharp, burning pain resounded throughout my head, and I struggled under the weight of its heavy regard. I could feel it boring into my skull, as it told me to take my own eye out and replace it in my socket… with the golden orb. The bright light grew yet stronger as I tried to keep my body under my own control. I saw scenes from the ancient times, of slaves building great monuments, of a tall Pharoah that looked just like Yuugi… and Kaiba, the priest by his side… and myself, of all people, standing at the Pharoah's left side, his regent and secretary… with a shining golden eye to replace my normal left one. Joey, the slave, looked up at us with disgust… and I cried out. Suddenly, the light flashed again, and I was in a field of poisonous orchids, suffocating, drowning…_

Somebody was shaking me awake. I saw first my hand with a flash of gold in it, and then Kaiba's furious face. "Exactly what do you think you're doing here?" I fished for the ability to speak, unable to find any words. "I- I- what?" Kaiba shook his head, placing his hands on my shoulders. "You were sleepwalking… We're going to have to find a more safe, suitable place to put this," he said, prying the orb out of my grasping fingers. "I barely had time to put pants on before you tried to take out your own eye!" Shocked, I stepped back. "You were n-naked?" "Yes, I was. Which is why you're not supposed to come in here when I'm sleeping, remember?" I nodded numbly. I never thought Kaiba was the type to sleep naked. The thought repulsed me… ew. _Oh, the images!_ I rubbed my eyes. "I'm going back to bed."

* * *

Saturday was difficult, but Joey made it all worth it. When he rang the doorbell on Sunday night, I rushed to answer, quickly brushing my hair and putting on a different outfit before opening the door. Joey had put on a nice pair of jeans, complete with a loose black tee shirt and silver belt. He handed me a helmet, and before I had a chance to ask, slung me on to his black motorbike. I giggled, snaking my arms around his waist. We sped loudly along the street, stopping finally at a dingy-looking restaurant. I looked at him curiously. He nodded, motioning to follow him. We sat down together at a tiny table near the window, and he said simply "Order the miso ramen, it's the best in the world." I smiled, nodded, and did as he said. And, as he'd said, it _was_ the best miso I'd ever tasted. Salty and tangy, it was identifiable as miso but also a totally new take on the dish. Joey and I laughed and talked. It was so easy to be around him, and just be myself. "So, how's you'z new job?" "Well, it's just… it's pretty miserable," I admitted, laughing. "But it's not forever, you know? And the pay's really great." Joey nodded. "Yeah, you'll get out of it eventually. With that brain of yours, you'll be a big-time CEO in no time!" I laughed. "Sure, and you can be my sexy secretary!" He smiled. "Actually, I really just like to play games. Maybe I can be a video game tester, or something like that. But I like speaking different languages, so I guess I could translate stuff too." I nodded back. It was nice to discuss the future. I thought about how it would be like to live with him, and figured it would be really nice just to sit on the couch with him and chill out like we were doing now. Joey was so wonderful. "So on Friday this really weird thing happened," I said, and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened that night with the Millennium eye. His eyes widened. "Ya'd better watch out, that stuff is dangerous," Joey warned. "Last guy that had the Eye went insane and killed himself, or we think he did at least." I nodded gravely. "Yeah, I tried to rip my eye out to put it in." Joey tensed. "I don't like the sound of that. Just… be careful, 'kay?" We continued talking like this for a while, then got back on the bike and left the restaurant. Joey stopped right in front of Kaiba's house, but I didn't want to let go of him quite yet. Pulling him off the motorcycle, I held his hand and dragged him to the door, where I hugged him tightly and looked him deep in the eyes. He gazed intensely at me, and dipped his head towards mine, flicking his eyes to my lips, then back to my eyes again. His lips were vaguely salty from the ramen, and soft, and warm. I closed my eyes gently. He pulled me closer, as if he wanted to embrace me so tight that I sank into him. I let it happen, wrapping my arms around his neck. I wanted this to last so much.

Unfortunately, all good things must end, and we parted slowly and sweetly. I smiled shyly at him, and he waved goodbye before riding away.

I went to bed feeling happy, wanted, and above all, fulfilled. I woke up with blood in my hands and blind in one eye.


	5. Chapter 5 Blood

**Hey guys, sorry it took so long O_o Also, sorry it's such a short chapterrr! I promise, I'll make it up to you. And if you leave a review, I'll try and take requests for plot ideas~ What do you guys think about some joey-mingming smut? :P All this and more, next chapter! . and I'll try to update by next Saturday.**

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!. Because if I did, there would be a lot more nudity!  
**

I stared in shock at my hand. It was covered in blood- my blood, I realized. The hand seemed a foreign object for a second, and as I became accustomed to myself, I heard footsteps approaching my doorway. I turned away from Kaiba, sure he would throw me out, be angry with me. As he entered the doorway, he let out an audible gasp. I couldn't contain myself any longer and began to cry. But the most frightening thing was not that I had injured myself, but that I couldn't feel any wetness on the left side of my face. It was dry, dry as sand, as my one good eye wept for dear life. A strong hand gripped my shoulder and spun me around. Kaiba's face was inscrutable for a second, then…_my god she needs help what do I do…good for research… god I'm such a jerk…_ a foreign stream of consciousness flitted through my head. I fought the urge to scream as Kaiba's thoughts and ideas ran quickly through_ my_ mind. He stepped closer to me, put an arm around my shoulder, and sighed. "Let's get you cleaned up." _Should have known this would happen… _I shook my head, willing his thoughts to be silenced. Suddenly, my head was clear again. How strange.

Kaiba took me to the bathroom, got me some new pajamas and changed my sheets as I cleaned up. I wasn't quite sure what to do with my eye… and suddenly, I realized that I was carrying an eyeball in my hand, nearly threw up, and flushed it down the toilet. A knock on the door shocked me, and I said "Come in." Kaiba had my uniform in his arms, and brought me my bookbag. "I just realized we have class in two hours," he said, chuckling awkwardly. "I'll make breakfast this morning-" "No," I protested. "It's my job, and I'll do it myself. Thank you- Kaiba-sama." I ducked my head slightly in the fashion of a bow, and rushed to my own room. I put on my uniform, pulled my hair back as always, and went downstairs to start breakfast. It was simple this morning, only pancakes and eggs, but it calmed me down. By the time Kaiba came downstairs, I was already whistling cheerfully and nearly back to my old self. He smiled shyly at me, and I grinned back, carefully shielding my mind from the onslaught of his thoughts. Nothing was going to get me down. I had a good job, a great house, and school friends to back me up, and… oh, crap, the eggs were burning.

Breakfast went quickly, and the limo ride to school seemed shorter than usual. I stepped out of the limo cheerfully, and went, as usual, to my first period class, Physics. Nothing had changed at school. I was relatively early, so I sat down in my usual seat and made sure to reserve the seat next to me for Yuugi, and opened my books. I read in quiet for awhile before I heard a train of thought approaching me. Looking up, I realized it was Teriyaki-sensei, bowed my head quickly and went back to reading. I shielded my mind, already beginning to get used to the idea. Soon enough, the rest of the class started to come in, and Yuugi followed. I smiled at him, but instead of greeting me in his usual friendly way, he frowned and gasped slightly. I furrowed my brows. Why?—oh. The eye. Suddenly, I felt like crying. I was then made painfully aware of the whispers behind me, the whispers of people wondering what kind of crazy fashion statement I was trying to make. My teeth gritted, I resolved not to let it hurt me.

"What happened?" Yuugi asked after class. "I'll tell you later," I replied, sighing deeply. "Sorry, I know it's hard to talk about," he said. The bell rang, and that was the end of the conversation.

Lunch time rolled around, and finally I felt I could relax. The constant bombardment of thoughts was surprisingly easy to get used to, and I was quite excited to see Joey. He was my rock, my calming force. But when I looked around the cafeteria, he wasn't there. Yuugi waved from the table where our friends sat, but again I didn't see Joey. I walked over and asked "Where's Joey?" "Oh, he's sick today," said Duke. I nodded, slightly disappointed. Duke continued, "So… what happened, with the-" he gestured towards his eye. "Oh, well Kaiba had it, and I just kind of… put it in, in my sleep," I explained. "I don't know why it happened, but I feel like it chose me." Yuugi nodded. "Yeah, I know how that feels." He laughed softly. "I definitely feel like the Puzzle and Yami chose me. It was fate that helped me solve the Puzzle, and it was the Puzzle that helped me make friends!" Yuugi smiled broadly. Téa gestured vehemently, shouting "Friendship!" at the top of her lungs. Tristan translated; "She means that no matter what, and no matter how hard life gets, we'll always have friends to help us through difficult circumstances." Everybody laughed. "I think we all got that," Duke remarked.

Later

I was packing my bags after last period class when suddenly somebody pushed me over from behind, forcing my face against the locker. The impact jammed my gold eye into my skull, prompting an incredible flash of pain in my head. A British-sounding voice said quietly "Oh, I'm so very sorry, let me help you up." The voice belonged to a nice-looking boy with white hair and a pendant hanging from a cord around his neck. Suddenly, I realized it was a millennium item; the Millennium Ring. I grinned cautiously, tempted to use my newfound mind-reading abilities to pry inside his mind. "I'm Bakura, what's your name?" the boy asked quietly. I frowned to myself… he seemed _fake._ "My name's Yue Ming, but you can call me Mingming. I didn't know there were others with Millennium Items here besides me and Yuugi!" Bakura smiled slightly, tilted his head and murmured, "Yes, I possess the Millennium Ring. It allows me to find whatever I seek, but I didn't expect to find the Millennium Eye so close by!" He stuck out his hand in a polite gesture. "Pleasure to meet you." I took it. He seemed nice, even though I'd had that momentary gut feeling of something off about him. _Don't trust him!_ A loud voice resounded in my head, reminding me of my own voice, but somehow more powerful and canny. I nodded inside my head, trying to indicate to that voice that I'd heard them. Bakura accompanied me down the block until I had to turn to head home, and sent me off with a friendly wave that seemed to say "see you later." I wasn't sure if I wanted to see him again or not; he'd seemed all right, but my gut feeling was that he was somehow, of essence, _wrong._

"Nice ta see ya again, dame," a deep, familiar voice said. I spun around. It was one of the gangsters from a few weeks ago! I bit my lip, tensing. "Guess ya came back for more… Lemme show ya what I've got for ya, now Jounoichi is down for tha count!" I gasped. That's why he'd been out of school? Seeing the dismay on my face, the gangster chuckled, shaking his whole huge and muscular body up and down. "Ya dinnit know? Ha, I'd like ta see ya try n' save his sorry ass, betcha can't even defend yerself!" And with that, he made a pass, grabbing my breast and pressing me against a wall. _Let me out,_ that powerful voice said. _Open your Eye!_ Suddenly, everything went clear. I was no longer in my body; I could see through the man's eyes, see what he was about to do. I saw myself make a quick movement, knew he'd try to grab my wrist and evaded, elbowing him in the kidney. The gangster buckled immediately, gasping for air. And then, something crazy happened.

I met Yami Yue, who I'd later learn was my counterpart from thousands of years ago. She took over my body, shoving me into a small corner of my mind. I sat and watched as she mercilessly extracted information from the gangster with the Eye, finding Joey's location and details of the outside security. And finally, angrily, Yami Yue extended her hand to touch the man's forehead and whispered "Obliterate." The man's eyes went blank, and the Eye told me that his memories had been wiped of the incident.

For the first time in my life, I felt true fear, not for myself, but for my enemies.


	6. Chapter 6 Darkness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! or any of its characters. Because if I did, well, you know what would happen ;D**

I knew I had to act quickly. The street was a regular hang-out spot for members of the Yakuza, and frequently street battles would erupt in broad daylight. Though I had lived there for more than a few years, I still stayed wary and cautious in that area; people knew me, my name, and I'd made a couple enemies where I shouldn't have. I pulled out my cell phone, and called Yuugi and the gang. "Hey-the Yakuza got Joey. If I don't call back in an hour, assume something bad's happened and call the police, okay?" "Yeah," Yuugi said from the other side. "Like we'd ever let you go in there alone! I'm coming over, you'd better wait for me!" I shook my head. Though I was glad to have such great friends, I feared for little Yuugi's safety. He was just barely five feet tall, maybe a little more, and I doubted he'd had much fighting experience. My phone rang, and I picked up. "We're here, where are you?" I gave him the address of the nearest building, and soon a much-changed Yuugi walked towards me, with Tristan and Duke behind him. "Um… Yuugi?" He was so tall, and so… dark-looking. "Nice to meet you; I'm Yuugi's darker side," not-Yuugi replied. "I hail from Egypt- _ancient_ Egypt." I nodded. It was all a little too much; first, I'd met Yami Yue, and then… "So does that make you Yami Yuugi?" I asked. He seemed a little taken aback. "Yes, it does. Did you- oh," he stammered, finally noticing my one gold eye. "I see." I nodded, then waved hello to Tristan and Duke. Duke tapped Yami Yuugi on the shoulder. "I asked Bakura to come, he might be able to help with his Millennium Ring." Yami nodded curtly. "Okay, but that means we'll have to wait longer." I bit my lip, knowing that time was of the essence in this situation. We couldn't afford to lose Joey, especially not me- not after all he'd done for me.

"Hey guys!" Bakura cried, evidently out of breath. Something in his constitution had changed; now he seemed more delicate, and less aggressive. He smiled, and said to me, "Nice to see you again." I smiled back, still making sure to be wary of him; Yue had told me to keep both eyes open around him. Metaphorically, of course. I began to direct the group. "Okay, so I read _that_ guy's mind-" I said, gesturing to the gangster across the street, who seemed to be having some trouble figuring out exactly where he was- "and found that Joey's in a big, corporate building…" I searched my memory, but found no recollection of the building's address, simply the way to get there. "I know how to get there. Come on, and don't lag behind!" I led them through an alleyway, into the business sector of Domino City. The buildings progressively became taller and darker. Inside the alleyways, it seemed less a bright and industrial part of town than a dingy, threatening area. The men and women out on their cigarette breaks watched us pass with looks of disdain and warning on their faces. Finally, I recognized the back door of the building from the gangster's memory. "Okay, this is as far as I know. Um… okay, how are we going to find him now?" "My Ring, of course," Bakura's voice sounded politely from the back of the group. He seemed tired, and was puffing like a fish out of water, but he walked straight towards me. His Millennium Item began to glow, and one point from the necklace lifted, and pointed upwards at an angle. "Okay, I guess that's where we're supposed to go, then?" I asked. Bakura nodded. "That's how my Ring works. It shows me the way to whatever I desire." "Great." I didn't mean to be rude to him, but I still remembered what Yue had said, and was a little impatient with people who couldn't even run more than a mile at a time. I looked at Tristan. "Can you do a good accent, like Joey's?" "Uh, yeah… we used to be in the same gang together," he said. "Okay. Um… the password is 'Blue Eyes.' Could you just go up to the door and say you're one of them or something?" "Yeah, sure!" he said hopefully. I'm sure it was because this was one of the few times he got to be actually useful to anybody—he wasn't always terribly helpful in any other way than simple brute force. Tristan walked calmly to the door, knocked twice, and gave the door-man the password, then knocked him out cold. "That wasn't part of the plan," I grumbled. "Nobody else in the way," Tristan replied. "Okay… now we need someone to stand guard… uh, Tristan, do you have a cell phone?" "Not with me," he said sheepishly. "Okay." "Hey, I can stand guard!" Duke volunteered. "Great!" I said. "Just call me or Yuugi if somebody manages to make it through here, okay? Tristan, stay with him," I added, eyeing Duke's skinny build. Then, Yuugi, Bakura, and I continued down the hallway, following the signal of Bakura's Millennium Ring.

The hallway, as we went further into the core of the building, became nicer and nicer of décor. Where once it had been dingy and poorly lit, it progressively became neater and richer in decoration. Suddenly, I realized; I'd seen the building before, and not only in the gangster's memories. We were inside KaibaCorp.

I elbowed Yuugi. "Do you know this building?" "It seems familiar," he said in a perfect bass. "Yeah. I think we're inside KaibaCorp." His eyes widened. "I'd never have thought Kaiba'd stoop so low as to-" "Well I guess he has," I snapped. Bakura pointed to a doorway. His ring was directing us to it. I clenched my jaw. It was time for a reckoning. Yuugi opened the door carefully as I walked in. I was angry, madder than I'd ever been before. And Kaiba was about to get the full force of it. But imagine my surprise when I discovered that the only person in the room was Joey, bound to a chair and gagged. We rushed to untie him, only for Joey to exclaim "It's a trap! Get outta here, now!" I spun around, but it was too late. A man I'd never seen, and his two bodyguards, closed the door quietly. "Take a seat," he said, gesturing to a set of chairs. "My name is Gozaburo Kaiba, and until I get what I want, none of you are leaving."

Sorry, another short chapter! . I know… 'tis all I could get done between AP's! Anyway don't worry, I'll try to make it more canon. I KNOW Gozaburo's supposed to be dead but dammit he makes such a good bad guy! Oh,,, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE rate and review, I'd much appreciate the feedback. Also, if you have suggestions I WILL honor them as best I can!


	7. Chapter 7 Kisses, Duelists and Pure Evil

"My name is Gozaburo Kaiba, and until I get what I want, none of you are leaving." The man was tall and imposing, with a receding hairline- however, instead of seeming like a friendly old man, his wrinkles and obvious seniority was threatening and darkly intelligent. "I was once the CEO of this corporation. Seto Kaiba- my own adopted son- ousted me and is now ruining the once great name of KaibaCorp. It needs me, now more than ever, to pull it out of this black hole they call 'gaming.'" He went on, rambling slightly. I frowned, remaining completely still, and said quietly, "I thought you committed suicide. You jumped off the top of the KaibaCorp building. You can't be-""Oh, yes. I _am_ Gozaburo Kaiba. And Seto is my enemy." I shook my head. The man was just about the perfect cliché of the villainous business man, out for revenge… I was almost certain that I'd read a comic about something like that. "Okay, so what do you want?" I said, gritting my teeth. I just wanted to get out of here. Gozaburo smiled at me, completely ignoring Yuugi, Bakura, and Joey, who had been mostly silent. "Simple enough. I need you to help me bring down KaibaCorp, that's all—if you do that, none of your friends will get hurt. I've already planted bugs everywhere in your friends' houses, and all over KaibaCorp. What you'll do for me is plant bugs inside Seto's house… and distract him, of course." My lips curled. "And what do you mean by _distract?_" I asked, lowering my voice to a growl. He smirked back at me. "Make him fall for you, silly little girl." I wanted to throw up. The man disgusted me. "Ya bastard, she's _mine!"_ Joey cried, struggling against his bonds. One of Gozaburo's men cocked a gun and pointed it at me. _That's it! _said the girl inside my head, my Yami—Yue. I felt a flash of darkness inside my skull, and suddenly I wasn't the one in control of my body. I watched from outside as my body—under the control of Yami Yue, I suppose—walked slowly, surely up to Gozaburo. It seemed that my entire posture had changed; I seemed taller, and tipped my head back a bit to reveal my Millennium Eye. "I suppose I can participate in this little game with you… Gozaburo… but I want you to tell your boss that I want a share in all of his profits after he takes over, okay?" The man sputtered. "I don't know what you're talking about, I'm Gozaburo Kaiba…" "No you're not," Yami said, grinning darkly. "You're a decoy, _silly little boy._ And, to whoever's listening into this conversation, I want a cut. Twenty percent, take it or leave it." Yami looked over to the fake CEO's guards, glared at them, and watched as they slowly lowered their weapons. She then walked back to Joey's chair, untied him, and led both Joey and Yuugi out of the room. At this point, I felt Yami smile at me from within, and suddenly I was back in my own body.

"Wow, that was weird," I gasped. "You're tellin' me?" Joey exclaimed. "Jeezus, I thought I knew ya-" "Joey, Joey, look. That wasn't me." I tried to explain ,but Joey just walked faster. I let him go, leaving me and Yuugi alone.

I looked over to Yuugi. He shrugged. "Well, Joey's fine." I nodded, feeling tears coming to my eyes. "I didn't want her to just take over my body like that," I sniffled. "Hey, look, it's not your fault," Yuugi said. "You didn't ask for this. And besides, my Yami takes over whenever I play any sort of game. When I'm in a major dueling tournament, Yami just up and takes over because I can't win without him. Talk about King of Games… he always has to win." He smiled ironically. Bakura nodded, adding "Sometimes I just black out and have no idea what just happened. Might only be me, but I suspect that it's my Yami, from the Ring… and I can't just get rid of it either. Once I tried to throw it away, and the next morning it was back on my neck." I sighed. "I just wish I could go back to being normal, and not have to hear peoples' thoughts, and not have Yami Yue up and taking over all the time… and, and…" I shook my head. We came to the end of the hallway, where Tristan and Duke were waiting. They waved. "Hey, Joey just passed here. You must have missed him-" "Yeah. We had a fight," I said. "Oh," said Duke. He rubbed my back sympathetically. "Hey, does that mean you're single?" Tristan commented. I smacked him in the head. "No!" That resolved the tension a bit, and soon we felt almost normal together.

Back at home, I lay on my bed, recounting the day's events in my head. I'd just finished cleaning the house, and had another hour and a half 'till I had to make dinner. Nobody was home, and the house felt a little too silent, a little too empty. I sighed for what must have been the hundredth time within that hour. I picked up the phone, paced, put it down. Should I call Joey? I just didn't know what to do anymore. Sitting back down on the bed, I thought back to the days at the shelter. Had it only been six weeks since my life had changed? I longed for that simplicity, of striving for anything, _anything_ better than what I had, looking forward to going back to school, working two jobs and always hungry. I was tired all the time, but happy. I knew that I had a family to fall back on. I smiled, picking up the bento box my shelter friends had bought me. I would always have those memories.

The doorbell rang. Strange, the Kaiba household rarely had visitors and Seto wasn't due back for another two hours. I walked over to the door, smoothing out my maid's uniform. Opening the door, I found a delivery box on the step, addressed to me. I brought it back to my room. Inside the box were a bunch of electronic bugs, nearly microbial in size, and directions to put them where they would not be noticed. I remembered the man threatening my friends. I didn't want to, but I had to do this. Slowly, and carefully, I placed the bugs around the house, finally putting a last one inside Seto's room. Biting my lip, I fought back tears. This was wrong, but what else could I do?

I had only just gotten out of Seto's room and shut the door when the front door blasted open and Seto stomped in. I rushed to him, waiting for him to give me his briefcase and coat to put away. Not making eye contact, he threw both at me. I'd never seen him in such a temper. "Kaiba-sama?" I said timidly. "Don't ask, don't look, don't talk to me!" He went straight to the game room, also unusual- he usually went straight to his office to work. I sighed, putting away his coat and briefcase, then walked into the Game Room. Kaiba was still there, shuffling through a massive catalogue of cards, selecting a couple and putting them aside into a pile on the table in front of him. "Kaiba-sama, what would you like for dinner?" "It's your night off. Order takeout or something." I shook my head. He was obviously in a horrendous mood. I put Gozaburo and his plot out of my mind and moved closer to Seto, laying my hand on the table. "Can I get you anything?" He finally looked me in the eyes, at first frustrated, but then somewhat bemused by something. "Do you play Duel Monsters at all?" he asked. "Well, I've seen it played," I replied. "Why don't we play a game," he said, handing me a thick deck of cards. "I just shuffled this one. It's a pretty good deck, but if you can beat me at all, I will be very surprised." I nodded, internally agreeing with him. After all, I'd never played Duel Monsters before. Any kind of win would be beginner's luck.

I climbed up on the Duel Deck and placed my deck into the slot. It automatically shuffled and dealt out five cards. I looked at each card. Two trap cards, three Monster Cards…. I drew one more. A Magic Card. All in all, I had "Fissure," "Crush Card Virus," "Summoned Skull," "Witch of the Black Forest," "Trap Master," and "Flute of Summoning Dragon." I nodded to myself. I placed "Trap Master" face-down in defense mode, and "Fissure" in the trap card zone. "Okay, I've finished my turn," I called across the stage to Kaiba. He pursed his lips in a mockery of a smile, then laid a trap card down and summoned a monster called Ryu-Kishin in attack mode. I smiled to myself, and flipped my trap card. Everything was mirrored on the field in hologram, and I watched as Ryu-Kishin sank into the representation of a fissure in the ground below him. Kaiba paled. "Okay, I end my turn." I drew another card. The Mysterious Puppeteer, with a very convenient effect- every time either me or Kaiba summoned a monster, I could increase my life points by 500 points. I summoned that monster, then flipped Trap Master into attack mode, selecting Kaiba's face-down card to attack. I was lucky- the card was Raigecki, which would have destroyed my monster cards. I looked him in the eye and smirked at him, as I commanded both of my monsters to attack his Life Points. Suddenly I saw the cards in his mind. Oh, crap- he had Blue Eyes White Dragon. I couldn't let him summon that- wait. I was cheating. Crap. I lowered my eyes to my own cards, but the damage was done. "That ends my turn." He nodded curtly and swiftly summoned a monster (increasing my life points by 500 points) and destroyed Trap Master, taking my life points back down. He ended his turn with that. I drew a card. Change of Heart. Keeping that in my hand, I summoned Witch of the Black Forest and ended my turn- his monster's attack points were too high for me to attack at this point. Now, I had a strategy in mind, and lucky for me, Kaiba took the bait. He attacked Witch of the Black Forest, sending it to the graveyard and activating its effect; I could now Special Summon any monster with a defense of 1500 or less to my hand. As I had anticipated, Lord of D. was in there. I smirked to myself, and when my turn came, I summoned it, and equipped it with Flute of Summoning Dragon… and summoned Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba's own trademark card. Though his face did not betray any emotion, his mind told me that he was pleasantly astonished, though he still doubted I could beat him. I'd show him! During his turn, Kaiba sacrificed both of his monsters to summon his own Blue Eyes. He attacked Lord of D, sending it to the graveyard, but that was of no consequence to me. The next turn, I activated the field card "Mountain" to raise both Blue Eyes' attack points to 3,200 points each. And then—my trump card—I activated Change of Heart, bringing his Blue Eyes over to my side. With both dragons, I attacked his life points directly, blowing him out of the water and all the way down to zero. I'd won the duel.

Both Kaiba and I stepped down from the dueling platform. I felt exhilarated. He walked over to me, and offered his hand. "That was an amazing duel." He seemed sincere. I took it, but knowing his pride was damaged, said "Beginner's luck." He nodded. We walked to the kitchen, side by side, but not saying anything. "I thought you had a date with Jounoichi today," he said, finally breaking the silence. "Oh. I… um… I think we broke up," I replied, uncertain. "Well, I hope _you_ broke up with _him,_" he said, curiously animated. "Actually, no, he broke up with me," I said, not sure where it was going. Kaiba sighed. "Well that makes you single, doesn't it?" I rolled my eyes. "Tristan just said the same thing this afternoon and it was—" Kaiba interrupted me by stepping up, looping his arms around my waist, and kissing me full on the lips. I stiffened. He was warm but harsh, staying completely upright and lifting my chin with one of his hands. I didn't know exactly what to do, so I closed my eyes. His hot lips moved seductively against mine, nipping slightly at my lower lip and then moving to my jaw, then my ear… "Wait-" I protested. "Wait!" He let me go, blushing. "I'm… sorry." Then, he turned on his heel and practically ran to his room. Dammit._ It's okay, he's socially awkward,_ Yami said. _But that was easier than I expected! _ "What was easier than expected?" I thought back at her. _Well, Gozaburo wants us to distract him and- _"No! I don't want to do this!" _Well, I was about to say that we have to follow the plan until we can get out of it! Don't interrupt me, I'm older than you! _"Well you don't act like it much. I just met you and you're already annoying." _Meanie. Anyway, we should try and figure out a good plan… I'll work on it._ "Great, because I have to live my life instead of being some tool for global domination," I grumbled. _You don't have to speak, I can hear your thoughts._ _"Fine,"_ I thought, stomping off to order Chinese takeout for me, Kaiba and Mokuba. Dinner tonight was going to be awkward.

**Hey guys, it's meee~ How did you like this chapter? Please R&R, I need the feedback and am not feeling terribly motivated. I'll keep writing but it will be a HUGE help to have some reviews!**


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